vas25tl

Hey, I am asking for your advice, it is time to get rid of the acura, and I don't really know what to get. I need something that will last a long time because I am in college, I don't want to put any money into it. I want to spend about 10-13 thousand. I was looking at a couple of the new nissan spec v's but I checked out their forum and they had a lot of problems with the engines and transmissions. I am looking at a few grand prix gt and gtp....I just don't know what to get! I love my acura and i want something that will be as good.
thanks :tflamer:

natrlmystic

if it ain't broke, dont fix it, whats wrong with the ack?

AC_DADDY

with the cars your naming your not going in the right direction with your choice of vehicles. your current acura with outrun those newer cars you were talking about

keep the acura, it would be a smart move

Ken1997TL

A Pontiac? A Nissan? Keep the Acura or better yet get a certified used Accord. Heck you could probably get a '98 or '99 TL for $13,000 with a warranty on it.

Street Spirit

Try a used Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus, or Subaru.
Or go the cheaper route and get a new Hyundai or Kia and take advantage of their 10 year warranty or whatever and then you won't have to pay much in terms of repairs at all, should any probs arise! Actually, haven't heard any massive improvements in Kia, but Hyundai has really improved their quality the past two years! I know it's nowhere near an Acura, but they are definitely supposed to be doing much better than in the old days and are making some cheaper-end, fully-loaded, pretty reliable cars.

Ken1997TL

Yeah, the new Elantras and Sonatas are very impressive for the price and warranty. Decent materials and interior layout. The engines are so so but they work fine.

oulaw29

Kelly bluebook on a 2000 3.2 TL is about $15,000 with 55,000 miles on it. That is with nav. I was going to add a 1998 TL and have the wife drive the 97. Decided to go for the 2000 TL for me, since its only bout $4,000 more and adds so much. FYI get the 2000 versus the 99, more low end torque

penguinflies

even a new base accord is just under 15K, you can find a good trim level civic for $15k. Off lease would be even cheaper

vas25tl

thanks for all your guys advice, I just don't know what to do, I love my ack and I really want something that will keep up to it. I just really want something faster....much faster ...

trickymaster

faster..... itr? i-gsr?

Ken1997TL

Faster is great and all, but think practically. Not sure how old are you are but in my case, I picked a 4 door car that is comfortable on long trips and is still fun to drive. A good compromise and if I have a kid, a back seat that is useable.

You can only go so fast, plus your insurance will be a #$%@ to pay for an Integra, it will get stolen and cops just LOVE to pull over those cars for no reason. My TL doesn't get that unnecessary hassle.

vas25tl

I am going to look at 2 99 civic si tomorrow, I have always wanted to know how they drive and how they handle. I will find out. There are two at the dealership, one only has 50K on it and it's only $9995. I got an offer on my ack today! I had to turn it down but hey, here they come!
BTW i am 19

penguinflies

i'm with ken.

I'll tell you what thou
My 2.5 has lower insurance w/full coverage than my 1990 honda accord lx w/liability only. I'm paying less to drive the 2.5 than an Accord, and the Accord is only worth $1000!

What i save goes right into gas thou

Cornflake

I thought you said you wanted something MUCH faster!? Going from your 2.5 to a 99 civic (Even an Si) isn't gonna be much faster if at all, and you're gonna lose so much! If you were gonna buy a Mustang GT or something, then I could see it, but a Civic/ MUCH FASTER than a TL? nope. I EAT Civic's on the Highway, left right and center, much of them with lots of work done, in my 3.2.

vas25tl

I drove the si, it sucks, I did not like it at all, it's a stock civic that can redlines higher, the thing had absolutely no torque. I am selling the ack tomorrow and I really have to find something now...

Ken1997TL

Well of course it doesn't have any torque. Hell a DX Civic has the same amount of torque (within about 3% or so) as an Si.

The Si is all about horsepower, you have to rev the piss out of it.

Cornflake

Which is fine, if you are willing to do that. Most ppl don't realize that you actually have to DRIVE a Honda to get the most performance from it. You gotta rev those engines up high for them to make power. I had an Integra before my TL, every bolt on you could put, plus Nitrous. The car was GREAT above 4500, but below that it was a sled. Now...once the Nitrous came on, that was a WHOLE other story!!!

vas25tl

well, i sold the ack last night for 5500 with 131000 miles on it. I am happy with what I got on it, there were dents all over my fenders, I hated that, I wish they made those fenders a little more stable. I am no longer an ack owner, feels kinda sad, I loved that car. But now the shopping begins!

vas25tl

Well Ken, you were right.

I can't believe I just found this thread

I ended up picking up a brand new 2004 Nissan Sentra Spec V. I liked it, had it for 7 months, put 14K miles on it and fell in love with a Lexus GS400...traded it and lost a ton of money. Should have listened, but I was only 19 and though I was smart

Mandy

Get a Lexus! If not another Acura!

Mandy

Gen a 3rd Gen....you can get one for $15K, high miles, though. But a 3rd Gen!

tmnhs81

This thread is more than 5 years old Mandy...

Xanderpants

So you have the GS400 now, correct?
How is it on gas vs the GS300?

(I love the GS + 2JZGTE swap = )

Personally, I was looking at a Q45 or a GS300 before I bought the TL. But the gas mileage was much worse on the Q45 and the list of reoccurring maintenance problems was long and expensive and I couldn't find a GS in my price range (plus insurance was a biotch).

vas25tl

I don't have the GS400 anymore, I put about 16K miles on it and sold it. What's your price range? To find a decent GS400 or GS430, you'll have to pay $, they are not very common; at least not around here. You can find a GS300 any day though.

When I first got my GS, I came out of a Spec V (I had just turned 20). This was back in the days of Fast and the Furious, a lot of my friends had modded Honda's, Acura's, etc....everyone was saying that I got a grandma's sedan.....until I pulled into the parking lot and did a power stand. Once the smoke cleared, they understood what a GS400 actually was - it was the fastest production sedan made for the year and made it to 60mph in 5.7sec. This thing was a beast!

Here is my experience with GS's (and Q45's)
I don't see the MPG to be that much of a difference between the GS300/GS400. When I had my GS400, I averaged 22-23mpg (mostly hwy). I worked for a dealership for quite a few years where I had demos. I've had at least 8-10 GS300's (all 1998-2004) and they all got very similar gas mileage. The drive/power is incomparable, I'm willing to get a few mpg's less to get that rumbling V8 again

I also had the chance to have 2 Q45's as demos over the years. Both were 2002 model years. I personally love the car, it drove great, had loads of power and the car is such a nice cruiser! I took one to Detroit and had a great ride! They do burn some oil, which is normal, but I haven't heard many other bad things about them.

vas25tl

Mandy, I actually am in the market for a new car (come spring time - unless I find a good deal on something) and I actually ruled the 3G TL out of my pool of choices. I found the car to be a little tight inside (I'm 6'4) and I can't handle the under steer of an overpowered FWD car. I'm not that spirited of a driver, but I just feel much more confident in a AWD or RWD car, they are much more fun to drive

My choices for spring time are:

2004-2006 MDX (first choice)
2003-2004 GS430
2006-2007 M35/M45 (if they come down in price enough)

In my experiences, I never want to pay more than $15K for a used car. Once they get down to $15K, they don't depreciate much after that....of course depending on the vehicle though.

Mandy

Great choices. Good luck!